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Ph.D. in Mineral Engineering

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Mineral EngineeringGraduateDoctor of Philosophy

[Program Overview]

[Learning Outcomes]

Program Title

Doctor of Philosophy in Mineral Engineering

Department(s)

Mineral Engineering

Degree Designation

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Type

Major

Program Description

The proposed Mineral Engineering PhD degree is a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary program. Some level of flexibility is allowed to meet the focused research area of the student. However, the student’s graduate committee, the department chair, and the dean of graduate studies must approve all courses.

Program Information & Policies

Only applicants with a closely related MS degree are considered for admission to the PhD program.

  1. Required credits - A student with a closely related Master of Science degree must complete at least 12 credits of graduate level courses, plus one seminar credit (ME 5072), and 24 credit hours of dissertation (ME 5095). Courses from other departments can be accepted with the approval of the research committee. 

  2. Formation of Research Committee – The student must form their research committee during the first year.

  3. Qualifying exam – The qualifying exam determines if the student is prepared and has sufficient background in their research area. It is recommended that the student take and pass the qualifying exam during the first year, where the student will be given a published paper in their area of study to be analyzed and critiqued. The research committee will decide whether the student is prepared to move on to the next step.  The committee may recommend specific courses to be taken as either deficiency or to prepare the student to do research in the chosen field of study. If the student fails the exam, they may retake it only once. If the student fails the second exam, they will be terminated from the program. The student may appeal for another opportunity to remain in the program.

  4. Candidacy Exam – Following passing the qualifying exam, the student must present a detailed proposal for their research work. An oral presentation to the research committee must be presented after passing the qualifying exam. The presentation is open to the public. The candidate must pass the exam to advance to Candidacy.

Additional requirements include the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Graduate Program requirements.